Employees claim problems with AT&T made it difficult to reach patients

CASEYVILLE, Il. (KMOV) – Employees at a Metro East doctor’s office say AT&T is making it hard for them to get in touch with patients.

It seems the phone lines were not properly buried and that is causing all kinds of problems.

“We've got several children that are horribly asthmatic and we've got some heart patients and we need to be in constant contact with those folks," said Dee Eberhart, practice manager at A to Z Pediatrics in Caseyville, Illinois.

But Eberhart says staying in contact with families has been a challenge.

In fact, employees have had to use their own cell phones to get in touch with patients.

"Last summer, the lawn service cut the wires and they came out and fixed it and said they would send out another crew to bury it and they never did. So now every time it rains, our phones get sketchy and scratchy and have issues,” Eberhart said.

And Eberhart says despite that repair by AT&T, the problems have continued.

"They came back out and did the same kind of electrical tape repair and still have no plans really to bury them," Eberhart added.

"You all always get people to fix what they're supposed to fix. After we talked to this person, this is what happened. I'm hoping my this is what happened is a good thing and they come bury my wire. I don't think that's too much," Eberhart said.

KMOV spoke with an AT&T representative who says the company is working on a long term solution in the coming days. The hope of course, is that the lines are finally buried.